Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-04-22

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PM chairs meeting on allocating 4th CSF; promises 80% to regions

[01] PM chairs meeting on allocating 4th CSF; promises 80% to regions

"We are making use of our country's competitive advantages, creating strong developmental centres in each of our regions, we are bolstering the weakest of these, strengthening them with national funds and this is happening for the first time," Karamanlis stated.

The meeting was attended by Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis, Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Deputy Minister Christos Folias and Deputy Interior Minister Thanassis Nakos, as well as regional heads of the country's 13 EU-mandated administrative regions.

The prime minister underlined that, following the approval of its NSRF by the European Commission on March 28, Greece is the first of the cohesion countries to receive such a big funding package that has successfully completed negotiations and gained approval for the 2007-2013 NSRF.

?Greece is changing its pace. It now has an opportunity to begin first on the road that leads to true convergence,? Karamanlis underlined. He noted that in December 2005, through grueling negotiations and against pressures to reduce funds, the government ?succeeded in securing 24.4 billion euros in funds for the next seven years?.

With the national contribution, these funds represented a total package of 36,5 billion euros that would be spent on the country�s development, particularly in regional areas, Karamanlis added.

The prime minister also underlined the government�s efforts to simplify the tortuous bureaucratic procedures that had led to delays and losses of funds under previous programmes.

?For the management and implementation of the 4th CSF we are creating a small and flexible formation that will guarantee speed, transparency and efficiency,? he stressed.

He said that the EU funds for the next seven years would be used to finance productive investments, which aimed to produce measurable economic and social results, growth that was strong, balanced and sustainable, more and better-paid jobs and prosperity for all and in all areas.

The government�s goal was to use the 4th CSF to turn Greece into ?a country with an outward-looking and competitive economy. A country that produces, promoting innovation and quality, a country that invests in new knowledge and its human resources, a country that takes the lead in protecting the environment.?

Caption: Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis making statements after the extended government meeting on the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) on Sunday, April 22, 2007. ANA-MPA - P. Saitas.

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